Dedicated to getting to the truth of things. A Christian since 1984. (Just a Christian, without pigeon-holing into a denomination.) I like people to be free to ask their questions about Christianity and the church. I like to approach faith questions with my brain switched on. A qualified classicist and historian.
Tweet: @colin_bluenose
And I don't look like James Garner. Enough about me already.

Sunday, 12 April 2015

Apologists and historians: can they mix?

I confess to wearing more than one hat.

Some of what I write is obviously wearing my historian hat (I read my Masters in Church History and have a classics degree).

For some of what I write, I'm wearing an apologetics hat, because I believe Christians should be able to give answers about their faith. I strongly believe knowing history is in apologists' best interests. I want to play my small part in bridging that gap. Very often, academic historians know stuff that apologists would be pleased to know, if only they knew where to look. So historians and apologists can mix in a healthy way,

I aim to be straight with you when I'm wearing my historian's hat and when I'm wearing my apologist's hat. Sometimes it's plain obvious what genre I'm writing, as history-writing and apologetics have different purposes, although both can be rigorously honest. Call me out if I'm not being straight about which I'm doing.

Occasionally, I'm in the mood to talk about something completely different. I reserve the right to say, "And now for something completely different."